Trio of projects to mark council legacy

Proposals to mark the legacy of Carrickfergus Borough Council are being considered as the local authority moves into its final months.

The three-tired plans, which focus on celebrating the past, marking the present, and a legacy for the future, were discussed at Monday night’s meeting of the Support Services Committee.

Carrick Council will cease to exist at the end of March, when it will formally merge with Ballymena and Larne to become the larger Mid and East Antrim super-council.

A number of suggestions were made at a special meeting of the Civic Subcommittee on January 12 as to how members could officially mark the winding up of the local authority.

The first of the projects would involve producing a final hardback edition of the Compass magazine to give a comprehensive history of the council over the years.

It was suggested that £3000 would be sufficient to cover this enhancement.

Meanwhile, Alderman May Beattie gave members details of an ambitious plan to extend Kilcreggan Urban Farm.

With all of those present expressing their support for the facility, it was recommended that a landscaping project which included a pond could be funded by council at a cost of approximately £10,000.

Moving on to the permanent legacy of the council, members agreed to recommend that a donation of £350 be made, along with a plaque and a framed certificate signed by the Mayor, to each school in the borough.

Schools would then be asked to forward their individual proposals as to how the money could be spent.

It was estimated that £7000 would cover this step.

The combined cost of the three projects was noted to be £20,000, with a budget established under the estimates for 2014/15 for this specific purpose.

Discussing the projects on Monday evening, it was suggested that a hardback edition of Compass may not be feasible due to postage costs.

The provision of a plaque to each school in the borough was also queried, with Councillor Billy Ashe indicating that many schools already owned similar plaques given to them by previous mayors of the borough.

Cllr Lynn McClurg indicated that a bursary for school-age students could be a fitting way of ensuring the ongoing legacy of the local authority.

With members agreeing to recommend the projects outlined during the special meeting, it was proposed that the possibility of securing extra funds for a bursary scheme be examined.